Published in 1998. The question of whether democracy and development are allies or adversaries has long been debated and with the triumph of the democratic spirit worldwide the relationship between democracy and development has once again come to attract much attention globally. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the developments in Eastern Europe led to considerable rethinking in political circles on the efficacy of the economic policies pursued in those countries and the long-term viability of political systems prevalent there. Elsewhere, several newly industrialized countries are striving to consolidate their gains, though there are differing perceptions of whether their politics conform to the classical framework of democracy or not. In a remarkable turn-around, some other countries have initiated measures for economic reforms and structural adjustment, setting aside their earlier approaches towards economic management. In short, the last decades of this millennium have witnessed meaningful efforts worldwide on forging a new partnership between democracy and development. In February 1996, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association jointly organized a conference entitled 'Parliamentary Democracy and Development': Allies or Adversaries?’ with the Wilton Park, an international agency of the British Commonwealth and Foreign Office in Wilton House, West Sussex, United Kingdom. The week-long conference brought together parliamentarians, diplomats, administrators, political scientists, economists and specialists from all over the world. The participants shared their views and experiences on diverse aspects of the main theme. This publication presents an essentially parliamentary perspective on the correlation between democracy and development based on the discussions at the Wilton Park conference and in the light of current thinking on the subject matter.

Offering new insights into the political economy of contemporary India, this book considers how and why unequal patterns of economic growth have taken shape within the context of a democratic and decentralising political system, and how this has impacted upon the processes of economic development.

Sponsored by the Communication, Information Technologies, and Media Sociology section of the American Sociological Association (CITAMS), this 22nd volume in Studies in Media and Communications explores the complex construction of democratic public dialogue in developing countries.

This book analyses unamendability in democratic constitutionalism and engages critically and systematically with its perils, offering a much-needed corrective to existing understandings of this phenomenon. Whether formalized in the constitutional text or developed as part of judicial doctrines of implicit unamendability, eternity clauses raise fundamental questions about the core democratic commitments underpinning any given constitution. The book takes seriously the democratic challenge eternity clauses pose and argues that this goes beyond the old tension between constitutionalism and democracy. Instead, eternity clauses reveal themselves to be a far more ambivalent constitutional mechanism, one with greater and more insidious potential for abuse than has been recognized. The 'dark side' of unamendability includes its propensity to insulate majoritarian, exclusionary, and internally incoherent values, as well as its sometimes purely pragmatic role in elite bargaining. The book adopts a contextual approach and brings to the fore a variety of case studies from non-traditional jurisdictions. These insights from the periphery illuminate the prospects of unamendability fulfilling its intended aims - protecting constitutional democracy foremost among them. With its promise most appealing in transitional, post-conflict, and fragile democracies, unamendability reveals itself, counterintuitively, to be both less potent and potentially more dangerous in precisely these contexts. The book also places the rise of eternity clauses in the context of other significant trends in recent constitutional practice: the transnational embeddedness of constitution-making and of constitutional adjudication; the rise of popular participation in constitutional reform processes; and the ongoing crisis of democratic backsliding in liberal democracies.

Young people are often at the forefront of democratic activism, whether self-organised or supported by youth workers and community development professionals. Focusing on youth activism for greater equality, liberty and mutual care – radical democracy – this timely collection explores the movement’s impacts on community organisations and workers. Essays from the Global North and Global South cover the Black Lives Matter movement, environmental activism and the struggles of refugees. At a time of huge global challenges, youth participation is a dynamic lens through which all community development scholars and participants can rethink their approaches.

Presidentialism and Democracy in East and Southeast Asia examines the impact of presidential systems on democracies by examining three distinct literatures – the perilousness of competing legitimacies of the executive and legislative branches, issues of institutional design (particularly regarding semi-presidentialism), and the rise of executive aggrandizement. Despite often intense political conflict and temporary instability in the East and Southeast Asia, presidential systems of various types – from relatively "pure" forms to semi-presidentialism and other hybrids – have largely been resilient. Although there are signs of growing autocratization in several cases, presidentialism, associated with both accommodation and conflict, has usually not driven it. This book’s contributions to presidentialism debates will be of interests to students and scholars of comparative politics while it also offers detailed analysis of the presidency in these East and Southeast Asian cases.

This report focuses on how to make democracy work for pro-poor development and on development policies that in themselves uphold and promote democratic values. It argues that development and democracy are not only goals in their own right, but must also be mutually reinforcing. It says that governments, the private sector, civil society and the international community all have a vital role to play in delivering development and democracy, and calls for responsibility, partnership and concrete actions.The report contains recommendations for action at both national and international levels. It is of interest to policy-makers, multilateral and bilateral agencies, the private sector, civil society organisations and all those committed to development, democracy and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

Since the end of the Cold War a plentitude of books and articles have been published on the subject of democracy and international law. During this same period numerous international treaties, declarations, resolutions and policy papers have been adopted. International Democracy Documents brings together the most important universal documents as well as those from Africa, the Americas, the Arab Region, Asia and Europe. The Editors provide a comprehensive General Introduction to the collection, and contextually introduce each chapter. The volume fills a gap in the literature and contributes to the advancement of the study of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. "À n’en pas douter, ce copieux inventaire constituera un outil fort utile, et en tout cas un excellent point de départ, pour celui ou celle qui s’intéresse à la notion de démocratie en droit international. Puisse cet ouvrage contribuer, comme c’est le vœu de ses auteurs (p. 35), à faciliter la recherche, le développement et le renforcement des standards et valeurs démocratiques au plan international..." : Laurent Weyers, Revue Belge de droit international, No. 2014/2 "It is no exaggeration to recommend that every library in the “Third World’s” law schools should have this volume on their shelves." : Pranoto Iskandar, in: Indonesian Journal of International & Comparative Law (IJICL) Volume III Issue 4 (October 2016), p. 799-806

Democracies and Authoritarian Regimes provides a broad, accessible overview of the key institutions and political dynamics in democracies and dictatorships, enabling students to assess the benefits and risks associated with democracy, and the growing challenges to it. Comprehensive coverage of the full spectrum of political systems enhances students' understanding of the relevance of contemporary global trends, including the nature of democratic backsliding and authoritarian resurgence, the rise of populism and identity politics, and the impact of cultural and socio-economic drivers of democracy. Each chapter features a broad range of case studies complemented by boxes that illustrate key terms, ensuring relevant research is translated in a clear, engaging format for students. This text is supported by a range of online resources, to encourage deeper engagement with the subject matter. For students: Regular updates to supplement the text, ensuring students are fully informed of real-time developments in the field For lecturers: In-class assignments to reinforce key concepts and facilitate deeper, critical engagement with key topics

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